Illustrator Pearada Cheepsatayakorn caught my attention on Instagram with her lovely illustrations that brighten any day.

Pearada’s world is very colourful and happy and that is part of the reason why I immediately loved her work. I wanted to discover more about the girl behind those illustrations and today I’m happy that I get to share our talk with you.

Can you introduce yourself to our readers?

My name is Pearada Cheepsatayakorn. With degrees in Strategic Communications and Architecture, I considered myself a visual storyteller. I tell stories through my illustrations. I collaborate with brands to create visual content that speaks to their identities. Pen and watercolor are my medium of choice.

Were you always creative? How did you first get into drawing/illustrating?

I think I loved drawing ever since I can remember. It started with my mom. Drawing and designing costumes for my Barbies were our activities when I was little. Then, my creativity got more solid when I started architecture school, where I learned to develop concepts and designs.

What inspires you?

Traveling inspires me. First off, it does the heart good! I love to slowly indulge and fully appreciate the atmosphere. I always carry a sketchbook with me to capture the moment I love with my drawing. The more I see of the world the more stories I have to share. Especially when I travel alone, I get to date the city and I get to see it from a different angle. Every time I change environment, new ideas spark into life.

Keep your eyes open. Go on an adventure and you will realize that inspiration is all around.

How important would you say social media is for your work?

Me and my work can’t live without social media. Not only is it my source of inspiration, it’s also how my work can be an inspiration to others.

If I don’t have time to travel for inspiration, I travel via a laptop screen. I find loads of inspiration through visual social media platforms like Pinterest and Instagram. I can spend the whole day pinning and getting inspired by those images.

My social media channel is also where I showcase my work and who I am as an illustrator. Brands find me and get to know my style though my social media.

If you could collaborate with any brand, which one would you choose and why?

Because I love traveling, my dream collaboration would probably be with luxurious travel brands. I would love to enjoy the brand experience as well as to see how I could translate those experience into my illustrations.

Describe your illustrations is 3 words.

Happy. Relaxed. Mood lifting.

Who is your favourite artist and why?

My favorite artist is Wendy Macnaughton. She is an illustrator and graphic journalist.

I love her work because not only does it look pretty, but it also tells a story. She uses her illustrations to tell her experiences. She really inspires me.

Moment in your career so far that you are most proud of?

This is a very hard question. I’m excited for every project I’ve done! For the one I’m most proud of so far, I would say it’s the thing I started doing recently: watercolor workshop. I just got into the world of teaching, guiding those who have no experience in watercolor painting to get started. I feel really proud seeing them being able to paint by the end of the session.

If you weren’t an artist what do you think you would work with?

Before I became a full-time artist, I was working as a strategist in a branding agency in New York City. It wasn’t before 7pm that I would get to work on my illustrations. It was like strategy was my day job and illustration was my night job. At one point, I had to pick one direction. As much as I love strategy, illustration is my passion. I wanted to start something on my own. It was a really tough decision having to choose one thing over another. Therefore to answer your question, if I didn’t become an artist, I would’ve still been working on strategy.

If you could have any super-power what would it be and why?

I would love to extend time! Haha!! I know everyone wants that but I really need it. I love capturing real time moments so if I wish I could elongate the moments I want to capture and see every movement in slow motion. I want to see every second in a more detailed way.

Where do you see yourself in five years from now?

Now that I’m doing illustration full time, it’s getting more real. Mainly, I collaborate with brands, but I also started a few more things. I started teaching watercolor painting as well as printing my illustrations onto stationery items. They are now available in a few creative spaces in Bangkok and in bookstores in New York City.

In five years from now, I hope to see things I’ve started growing stronger. I see myself traveling around the world to hold watercolor workshops wherever I want to travel. I see my own stationery brand “PearadaStyle” on shelves around the world!

To keep up with Pearada and her work make sure to follow her on Instagram and Facebook. Also, if you’re in NYC she has some workshops coming up so keep an eye on that if you’re up for being creative.